Vyazma Airborne Operation
|side2= |side3= |side4= |commanders1= |commanders2= |commanders3= |commanders4= |forces1= |forces2= |forces3= |forces4= |casual1= |casual2= |casual3= |casual4= |civilian=}}The Vyazma Airborne Operation was a series of airborne night drops undertaken largely by the Soviet 4th Airborne Corps during World War II. The drops were carried out January 18, 1942 to February 28, 1942, all under the cover of darkness. The goal for these airborne operations was for a large number of Soviet troops to land behind German lines, sever vital communications, and complete the encirclement of German troops in Vyazma before linking up with the Soviet forces engaged in a counterattack against the German troops in the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient. Though the operations suffered from many setbacks, overall, the deployed Soviet airborne forces successfully managed to hamper German communications and rear troops for some time. However this was not without suffering immense casualties, meanwhile the airborne troops had failed to stop a German withdrawal westwards from the Vyazma encirclement. In the end, the Soviet 4th Airborne Corps had had its core structures critically depleted following the operation and had failed to fully encircle the German troops as hoped. Planning By early 1942, the German Army Group Center had been pushed back from the Soviet capital city of Moscow. However, what remained was a large salient still capable of threatening Moscow. As a result, Army Group Center took to fortifying what came to be known as the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient, ensuring that it would not be broken easily. The Soviets wished to break through this salient and encircle the German forces, hoping to end the slaughter of the "Rzhev meatgrinder". To accomplish this, the first airborne landings were to be conducted by 250th Airborne Regiment and two battalions of the 201st Airborne Brigade, 5th Airborne Corps. The airborne were supported by 21 PS-84 aircraft (civilian versions of the Lisunov Li-2), and 3 TB-3 bombers carrying 45 mm anti-tank guns for the paratroopers. Airborne Troops in World War II by Vladislav Goncharov (In Russian)The date for the first drop was scheduled for January 17. Battle The First Landings Due to a snowstorm and adverse weather conditions, the date for the drop was scheduled for the night of January 18. By the morning of the 19th, some 642 paratroopers had gathered in an attempt to overtake a German airfield. Though unsuccessful in taking the airfield, after joining up with local partisans, the airborne troops had managed to find and prepare another airfield, allowing some transport aircraft to land and deliver much needed anti-tank rifles, mortars, and anti-tank guns. However, the airfield was promptly overrun by German ground forces supported by aircraft. The paratroopers disrupted German rear lines, though failed to accomplish a successful encirclement. New Drops As a new attempt to encircle the German troops fighting in the salient, new air drops were carried out by members of the 4th Airborne Corps beginning on January 27. German bombing of Soviet airfields hampered the rate at which paratroopers could be dropped, and little friendly fighter cover resulted in many transports being intercepted by German fighters. After six nights, a mere 2,100 personnel of the intended 10,000 had been deployed behind German lines. Troublesome weather and general inexperience with such operations resulted in numerous airborne drops off target. The landed troops were successful in hampering German troops for nearly three weeks, helped in large part by their coordination with the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps. More airborne drops were conducted from February 17 to February 23 near Yukhnov.Sasso, R. Claude. Soviet Night Operations in World War II. Combat Studies Institute (1982), Page 5 Though these drops suffered from the same issues as earlier drops, the paratroopers continued to fight for several months, breaking through several encirclements, and being supported by a new battalion of paratroopers dropped in from April 15 to April 16. By May, some paratroopers had managed to reach Soviet lines, though their mission had not fully been accomplished. Army Group Center had not been destroyed. References Category:1942 Category:Battles in the Eastern Front